Alberta Business Marketing

This post today is not about social media consulting in Calgary or even the work we do each day helping our clients with search engines optimization. However, keep this in mind, the work we do with all of our social media efforts and investing the time and/or dollars into a search engine optimization campaign all start with understanding our businesses.

You know it is still very surprising how many business still don’t have a business plan and even more have a marketing plan that consists of the proverbial, “let’s throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks” approach.  By the way, don’t be in denial…don’t tell people you have a business plan and then have to blow the dust off it or even worse..you can produce it.  If your business and marketing plans are in your head, they are simply dreams. Get it on paper today.

During a recent Starbuck’s gathering with one of our SEO copy editors who works with Ulistic, we got chatting about business and the various stages of a small business.  I was intrigued about these various stages and thought that I should know them because I am on my second small business now.  Once I started to understand them, it was easy to share with you all.

Here are the three stages that we discussed over coffee:

• Forming – These are the early stages in a small business.  You may be here solo or have a group of two or more.  This can also be known as the “dating phase”.  You like each other, you see synergies and you elect to jump into a business with each other.  Everyone kind of knows what they need to be doing.  Usually lots of toes are stepped on but everyone is happy.
• Storming – Enter the rocky seas.  Everyone is heads down and feverishly working hard for the success of the business.  Everyone has the right intentions but lots of things are being missed, people are getting upset and this stage is where a number of the small business relationships fall apart.   Success occurs but everyone is so busy pushing forward that they fail to reward themselves, egos start to form and everyone is jockeying for position.
• Norming – If your small business can make it through the storming phase, you will start to see that the stormy seas start to calm and everyone settles into what they do best.  Your true sales experts start to emerge, your technical folks understand their roles and everyone is on the same page.

Let’s face it…egos get bruised every day in a small business and every business goes through these phases eventually.  The forming period maybe longer for others.  Storming may be short-lived and norming we all hope can go on for ever.  Let your colleagues flex their muscle and ride out the stormy times to get to the smooth sailing.  Some people just need to know they can do it and have early success.

Having run a very successful IT firm in Calgary for 9 years I can tell you that we went through all of these phases.  It wasn’t until we had some outside help that allowed us to figure out the norming phase.  The phase where roles and job descriptions are clearly defined and KPI’s are set.  Do you have KPI’s in your business? If not, how do you know if everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing?

Having someone come in to do a SWOT analysis on your business is totally awesome and well worth the exercise.  I highly recommend investing the time.

Where are you in your business today?

Tags: Business, Business intelligence, Business/Finance, Calgary, Group processes, IP, Management, market research, marketing plan, search engine, search engine optimization campaign, search engines, search engines optimization, Social groups, social media, social media efforts, Social work, Stuart's ramblings, SWOT analysis
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Social Media and Search Engines are turning the sales world on its head. Is your business attractive bait in the online ocean or is your business just a small fish in a big pond. Businesses today are looking for what you have to offer but how are they finding you?

One of the questions I get asked throughout the course of my day, as a Canadian Social Media Consultant is how small businesses across Canada can actively prospect for new business in our online world. The Internet has opened the kimono when it comes to marketing opportunities.

Is your business leveraging what the Internet has to offer?

I continue to enjoy a strong passion for sales and marketing. This passion was born in my early days as a computer tech and IT Professional in the Calgary market. As a young computer support technician I had a knack for helping those get the right IT solutions for their business and with the right mindset. These core principles I practiced 12 years ago are now very relevant today.

It started with putting service first and the need to provide the client the right solution that allowed them to achieve their crucial business goals. I loved being involved in the sales process and eventually helping build IT Matters through a strong client-first marketing focus.

Like many of you, I had a number of so-called “sales experts” try to educate me on how to sell to my customers. Some strategies worked and some flopped. That was part of the education process. The important component of any experience is that we learn from it.

In a traditional sales environment, we have always taught our sales teams to go out and prospect. Chase down potential opportunity after opportunity and shake things out. Many of us are still taught to “go out and hunt for opportunities”. We do cold calling, warm calling, selling to people in our networking groups and the list goes on from there.

The question is, does it really work in today’s world?

The market is much smarter than just a few years ago. Google, BING and the Internet have helped educate our clients on exactly what they want or need. Social Media and online communities are breeding grounds for those looking for answers. However, many of us continue to turn a blind eye to the power of social media and continue with websites that don’t perform.

Today’s consumer plays the prospector role. Educated consumers lurk amongst us and the Internet allows these knowledgeable consumers to continuous search the information and answers they want. Many will never stop until they get the answer they want. These same consumers once relied on our expertise. Today, that expertise is available with a simple Google search.

I often think in order to fill this need and to be successful in our businesses we need to flip the prospecting model on its head. The roles have to be reversed. Our sales teams and marketing professionals must become the prospect and our future clients…the prospector. I think this is how the model has to look. It is the only way it can work in today’s world where answers are at everyone’s fingertips.

What can we do online and offline that facilitates others to prospect for our services and products? How do sales professionals and business owners become attractive bait for those in need of what we have to offer? I often think about what Jeffrey Gitomer says, “customers love to buy but they hate to be sold”.

How can we become that facilitator who allows people to do what they love…BUY. Can our social media activities play an active role? I think it has to. The reality of today’s world is never before has the opportunity for many of us to become great bait and allow the prospectors out there to find us. After all, isn’t that we all love to buy? The debt crises in North America can attest to that.

The Internet allows us to be searchable. Social media and search engines are the prospector’s tools. The scary part is for many of us is we are nowhere to be found. We have little or no online presence and we wonder why the guy down the street gets all the business. Maybe it is because he is out there, helping and serving those who are looking for what he or she has to offer.

That is the reality, it doesn’t matter what market you are in, you have an opportunity to educate and make yourself the most attractive bait out there. You just need to take the first step and learn how to participate effectively.

Tags: Business, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Canadian Social Media, Consultant, continuous search, google, Google Inc., I T MATTERS, jeffrey gitomer, marketing plan, media activities, North America, online communities, online ocean, online presence, online world, sales, search engines, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, Stuart's ramblings, Technology/Internet, young computer support technician
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Why is football so popular?

Is it the brutal tackling, amazing catches and exceptional athletes?

This year I am volunteering to coach the Calgary Bantam Wildcats as an Offensive Line coach.  I played Defensive End when in high school, so it will be interesting to be on the other side of the ball for a change.  Football for those who follow this game closely must be approached in a strategic manner.  You can’t expect to take the field without a plan of how you are going to play the game.  The best teams throughout history have always used strategy to fight for every yard and to win championships.

Lately, I have been looking at social media from a very strategic approach.  I first started out with tactics and dismissed strategy, however as I mature as a business consultant who focuses on helping Canadian small business with Online Marketing, strategy is crucial to everyone’s overall success online.

Many Canadian, US and Tech firms simply attempt to leverage social media by going at it very tactically and I am not sure why online marketing often skips over the planning and strategy phase.  Perhaps it is the ease of access and even because it requires little or no financial investment to get started.  What a mistake as I have learned over my time in the industry.  Tactical is crucial during the execution phase however long before you send out a tweet, post an update on Facebook or write your first blog post you have to look at the strategical approach to social media.

Social Media is a relationship marketing tool and the best relationships are always part of your strategic plan.  Over the past few weeks I have spoken about the importance of a plan and what my friend Arlin talks about “The Four Plans That Change Everything“.

Do you have a business plan?  Many businesses don’t.

How about a marketing plan?  Nope, even more business don’t have a plan to execute their marketing.

Are you getting the results from your online marketing? Maybe it is simply a failure to plan.

Many businesses here in Calgary and across Canada are not getting the results they were promised by their social media consultant.  Why?  Because they have no plan to attack the market, just like in football…no plan, how can you ever succeed?

Yes, Social Media is exactly like Football.  You need to battle to develop every strategic relationship just like you need to take the field in football to win each series, each quarter, each half and then each game.

Need a hand planning your online marketing…give me a call 403.775.2205

Tags: 403.775.2205, Arlin, Business, business consultant, business plan, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Defensive End, Facebook Inc, football, Internet Marketing, Management, Marketing effectiveness, marketing plan, Media consultant, Offensive Line coach, relationship marketing, relationship marketing tool, social media consultant, Sports, Strategic management, United States
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Nothing is more suicidal for a business than not have clear objectives and not having the plans in place to support you through your business journey.  My good friend and trusted mentor, Arlin Sorensen who guided me through my years as an IT Professionals talks about the importance of planning every day.  His basic four plans for business success is something I attempt to live by (doing an OK job with some).

I still run into many small businesses in Calgary with no business plan.  They have no clear objectives, they don’t know if they are on track and the worst thing is that they all have employees running around like chickens with their heads cut off.  Simply because the leadership team has no clear objectives, no destination in mind and no idea how they are going to get there.  Besides loosing tonnes of cash spinning their wheels they also run the risk of losing their talented staff.

Is this your business?

Is your approach to business this, let’s just shoot everything up against a wall and let’s see what sticks?  What falls to the ground we will dismiss and what sticks, “heck, let’s go for it”.  I would like to advice you, that approach may not be the best for you and your team.

Why do you come into the office each day?

Since my focus now in business is around your entire strategy when it comes to marketing your business online, I am going to practice what I preach and focus in on what I know.  However, I am also a small business owner and have been in organizations that didn’t have a business plan and people on the team were the “blind leading the blind”.  It is very frustrating.

Your online marketing must have clear objectives and be measurable.  Tweeting for the sake of tweeting may win you a tonne of followers on Twitter, but tweeting which is aligned to your business objectives may win you new business opportunities.  Do you see what I am getting at?  What is your blogging strategy, who does what and on what topics?  How do you know what you are doing is working?  Lots of questions to ask here.

Based on what Arlin has taught me throughout the years, I came up with four mandatory plans for online marketing success.

1. Your Business Plan – This is a must (fail to plan, plan to fail)
2. Your Marketing Plan – This is where you set all your marketing goals and where all marketing rolls up
3. Online Marketing Strategic Plan – What are the goals of your online marketing in relation to your entire marketing and business plan
4. Online Marketing Execution Plan – Who is responsible for what, what gets done and what needs to happen.

You can even break it down deeper that every aspect of your execution plan has a strategy and execution plan attached.  The message here is that you have to plan.  You must start with the end in mind and work back.  You need to constantly tweak based on your objectives and you can’t do that unless you measure what you are doing and taking ownership of your entire business strategy.

This is where our team at Ulistic comes in.  Enter, shameless self promotional piece…if your business simply needs some guidance on social media, online marketing, search engine optimization or any other marketing type of query answered…pick up the phone and call me at 403.775.2205 Option 2.

Tags: 403.775.2205, arlin sorensen, Business, business plan, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, Management, marketing plan, online marketing success, search engine, search engine optimization, social media, social media part, Twitter Inc
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